I got home late from work so just watched both games on tape.
The Titans controlled play, but turnovers will kill you. I think they lost that game in the second quarter with the two long drives that ended in turnovers. 2 drives, 122 yards, 2 turnovers. That sort of play might be uncharacteristic for the Titans, but it's not for the Ravens. That's how they win. They get by on offense, Flacco doesn't make mistakes, and the defense causes turnovers and terrorizes the other team's offense. That's why I think the Ravens earned this victory and it wasn't a fluke - it's consistent with how they win. I don't think a conclusive argument can be made that the Titans are a better team. If you want to bring "shoulda" into it, the Ravens shoulda won the first meeting. Both were close, low-scoring, hard hitting games. On a more subjective level, I never bought into the Titans as an elite team during the season. They just didn't "feel" like one. Heading into the playoffs, I thought they had the third best chance to win the AFC, after the Colts and Steelers. Take it for what it's worth. the Giants didn't look like an elite team last year, and they won the Super Bowl.
The Cardinals shocked me. I thought they had a chance to win if they ran the ball like last week, but I certainly didn't expect THAT. Jake Delhomme can just NOT be trusted in the playoffs (save that one magical year.) He takes chances like Brett Favre but doesn't have the arm. Why did the Panthers not keep running after that dominant first drive?? They ran SEVEN times in the first half. Breakdown in coaching and complete meltdown at QB. I wonder if the Cards saw something on tape or if it was just one of those games.
I hate making predictions that include a final score, but just for fun:
Giants 27, Eagles 13
I see this as one of those games that stays close most of the way until one team pulls away at the end to make for sort of a lopsided score. RB play is the key. If Jacobs is still banged up or Westbrook goes off, this score could be reversed.
Chargers 20, Steelers 17
The Chargers have mojo, and I have zero confidence in Ben Roethlisberger, healthy or not. The Charger defense has stepped up lately, and Gates looked great against the Colts. They'll need someone besides Sproles to run though - I don't see him having a great game on the ground against the Steelers. Maybe they can get 15 carries out of Michael Bennett and Jacob Hester.